Hailey~
I groggily opened my eyes to the sound of my alarm blaring at 5:00 AM. Mondays. I let out a deep sigh and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. The darkness outside my window didn't help my mood, but I knew I had to get moving. I rolled out of bed and began my morning routine, starting with a quick shower to wake myself up. The warm water helped ease the stiffness from sleep.
After my shower, I got dressed in my work attire – a crisp white blouse and a pair of black tailored skirt. I packed my hair in a rough bun and applied a light layer of makeup, just enough to look like a waitress.
It was already 6:30am Literally spent more than an hour. I barged into Ava's room, switching on the light. My Eight year old little sis, pulled the blanket over her head.
"Ava, rise and shine! You've got school today," I said, gently shaking her awake.
Ava rubbed her eyes and yawned, stretching her small frame. "Five more minutes, Hailey," she mumbled, snuggling deeper into her blankets.
I chuckled and sat down beside her. "No way, missy. You've got to get moving, you don't want to keep Mrs Carter waiting.I'll help you get ready." I pulled back the curtains, letting the early morning light flood in.
"I'm not going with Mrs Carter". A frown settle on her face.
"And why is that??" I helped her stand on her feet and led her to the bathroom
"Desmond said my breath smells like garlic and Chelsea made fun of me at school yesterday".
I know Mrs Carter's kids are a mouthful of insults but I had no idea they'd stoop to bully my sister.
"It's okay Ava we'll take the bus. Until my car is fixed there's no guarantee things will go back to as they were."
"I'll rather ride the bus than ride with those douche bags".
I chuckled, as I watched her small frame head for the bathroom.
We went through the morning routine together – breakfast, packing her backpack, and getting her dressed. I made pancakes and scrambled eggs for breakfast, Ava's favorite. As we ate, I went through the checklist in my head: lunch money, homework, water bottle... I made sure she had everything she needed for school.
As we finished up, I glanced at the clock. 7:30 AM. Ava had to head out soon. "Time to go, sis. Don't want to be late for school," I said, helping her into her jacket.
Ava nodded, grabbed her bag, and gave me a quick hug. "Thanks, Hailey. See you after school."
I walked her to the door and watched as she boarded the bus , waving goodbye as she disappeared inside. Now it was my turn to get ready for work. I had a morning shift, and I needed to be at the office before my boss arrived at 9:00 AM.
I quickly finished getting ready, double-checking my outfit and grabbing my things – bag, lunch, and water bottle. With a final glance around the house, I headed out the door, ready to tackle another busy Monday.
After seeing Ava off to school, I hailed a taxi and headed to "Brew & Co.", one of the most popular coffee shops in New York City, where I worked as a waitress. The bustling streets of Manhattan were already alive with activity as I arrived at the shop around 8:45 AM. Luckily my I got there early before 9:00AM, My Boss,Mr Edward Just returned from Japan yesterday and he wants to inspect the Coffee shop he left under miss Helen the Manager.
I entered the cozy atmosphere of Brew & Co., the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled my senses. The shop was already buzzing with customers, and my colleague Ashley was busy taking orders.
We exchanged warm smiles, and I began prepping for the morning rush. Ashley joined me during a brief lull, her expression troubled. I wondered what was wrong with her.
"Hey, girl, I'm still shaken," Ashley said, her voice low. "You won't believe what happened to me yesterday evening."
I leaned in, intrigued. "What is it?"
"Mister Jake came in with his friends, wanting to celebrate over champagne," Ashley explained, her eyes flashing with discomfort.
"He was clearly drunk and got way too aggressive. He tried to... force himself on me. That bastard grabbed my butt!!"
My eyes widened in shock. "Oh my god, Ashley! What did you do?"
Ashley's eyes sparkled with determination. "I slapped him, so hard. Told him to back off. Luckily, the others intervened, and they left."
I nodded in support. "Good for you! You handled it well."
Ashley's expression darkened, worry creeping in. "The problem is, Mister Jake's influential plus he's one of our Boss's favorite customers and he won't hesitate to use it against me. I'm probably just one phone call away from getting fired".
I frowned, sensing the potential issue. "Let's hope your side of the story is heard, but for now let's take care of this customers before Miss Helen start breathing off our necks"
the sounds of espresso machines and lively chatter filled the air. Today's gonna be a long day. My mind went back to Ava I hope she's doing alright, and she's not being bullied by Chelsea and her brother she's literally the only one I have left. I sighed and went round to table seven to take their order.
It was not too long before Mr. Edward, our boss arrived, exactly 9:00AM, Miss Helen, the manager, greeted him with a wide smile, trying to make sure she doesn't seem tensed, in-fact everybody was tensed. Mr Edward hates incompetent employees.
He began his inspection, observing the bustling coffee shop and nodding in approval. He seemed impressed, why wouldn't he we worked out butts yesterday evening making sure this place look presentable today.
"Miss Helen, it seems you've done an excellent job keeping Brew & Co. running smoothly while I was away," Mr. Edward said, his eyes scanning the shop.
Miss Helen beamed with pride her smile widened almost reaching her ears.
"Thank you, sir. We've worked hard to maintain the high standards you've set."
The tension in the air was palpable as Mr. Edward's gaze swept across the staff. Ashley, still shaken by the previous day's events, stood frozen, her eyes fixed on Mr. Edward. I could sense her fear by just standing closed to her, I feel her fear.
Just then, Mr. Edward's expression turned serious. His head turned to look at Ashley who was already fidgeting.
"I've heard about the incident with Mister Jake. Ashley, can you tell me what happened?"
Ashley's voice trembled slightly as she recounted her story, her eyes darting between Mr. Edward and Miss Helen. The staff held their collective breath, their faces etched with concern.
Mr. Edward listened intently, his expression growing increasingly concerned. When Ashley finished, Mr. Edward's face softened. "I appreciate your bravery, Ashley. Mister Jake's influence won't protect him from accountability."
Oh my God, thank goodness.
We exhaled a collective sigh of relief as Mr. Edward didn't fire Ashley. Instead, he offered words of reassurance. "You're a valuable member of our team, Ashley. We'll support you through this and I'll make sure to warn mister Jake this incident should not repeat itself"
Mr. Edward concluded his inspection and prepared to leave, the atmosphere in the shop seemed to lighten. Ashley looked visibly relieved, but the tension still lingered.
…
With Mr Edward gone the shop was back to its way it was, orders flying around , laughters filled the air , more orders I was literally moving from table to table with a big smile plastered on my face, my legs screaming in protest. It's almost noon I need to go take a break before I collapsed.
I sat at the back of the counter watching Brian, The cashier attend to the customers sometimes I envy his job no wonder he looks all fresh.
Soon it was break which means I was done with my shift. Yes I'm free from this..whatever
I went to my table and pack up for the day,
"Leaving so soon.." Ashley walked in dropping her tray on the table then collapsed on the sofa.
"Yeah I need to prepare lunch and Ava will be back anytime soon and you know how cranky she gets when she's hungry". We both laughed.
"I'll miss you.." she pouted.
I chuckled at her cute behavior just then my phone rang it was Ava's homeroom teacher. I became tensed at once, shivers coursing through my veins, Miss Jen has never called me for over a month now I wonder what went wrong I've paid all Ava's fees.
"Hello Miss Jen, Good afternoon". I tried to speak without stuttering
"Am I speaking with Hailey Collins?"
"Yes I'm Hailey, Ava's Sister".
"Good, don't panic, Ava collapsed today during Dance class and she's currently admitted in City Hospital please we'll need your presence…" Miss Jen's word set my heart racing, I felt a wave of panic wash over me.
"Hello is anybody there, Hailey.. hello" Miss Jen called out from the other end.
I was in total shock…unable to digest all I've heard, Ashley stood up unknown to her what's going on…
"Ash I need your car keys". I stared at her in shock, tears rolling down my eyes …
"What's happening?? Is it Ava talk to me!"She shook me vigorously obviously scared
"Fuck just give me the damn keys!!". I yelled at her shaking, different thoughts flooding my mind, what could have happened to my poor sister..
"I'll drive, you'll talk" ..